WASHINGTON -- To honor Harvey Milk's legacy, the White House will recognize a group of outstanding openly LGBT state and local elected and appointed officials as "Harvey Milk Champions of Change."

WASHINGTON -- An active duty U.S. Marine Corps officer proposed to his same-sex partner during the annual Holidays Open House at the White House over the weekend.

Capt. Matthew Phelps, on bended knee, proposed to his partner Ben Schock just outside the entrance to the blue Room Saturday evening. The historic proposal is believed to be the first ever by a same-sex couple at the White House.

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton paid tribute to the State Department’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA) organization. The ceremony was held in the State Department’s historic Ben Franklin room for the first time.

After receiving a standing ovation Clinton thanked the crowd for what she called their courageous actions in the face of historic discrimination. The secretary lamented that homosexuals could not serve openly in the State Department until 1992.

WASHINGTON — Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and OutServe, the association of actively serving LGBT military personnel, on Thursday applauded and celebrated the one-year anniversary of repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” praising the smooth transition the military has made in allowing gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans to serve openly in the military, and called on the White House, Pentagon, and Congress to embrace and advance the final work necessary to achieve full LGBT equality in the Armed Forces.